White House Identifies FY 2016 Research Priorities

August 1st, 2014

BU IN DC

The National Science Foundation announced that Richard Murray of the College of Arts & Sciences will serve as director of the Division of Ocean Sciences starting in January 2015, on detail from the University.

WHITE HOUSE IDENTIFIES FY 2016 RESEARCH PRIORITIES

The White House Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy released their annual memorandum on how federal agencies should determine science and technology priorities in their upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget requests. The memo adds earth observations as a new priority area to the research topics the Obama Administration has championed since its first term, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, climate research, information technology, life sciences, and neuroscience. Federal science agencies will use the memo to guide their research funding priorities in 2016.

SENATORS RELEASE BILL ON CAMPUS ASSAULTS

Eight Senators, including Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), introduced the Campus Accountability and Security Act (CASA) on Wednesday. CASA is the culmination of a series of roundtables and a national survey of universities led by Sen. McCaskill, and it seeks to curb collegiate sexual violence and improve campus procedures for investigating assault allegations. The measure would require universities to administer an annual campus climate survey regarding sexual violence and to have a memorandum of understanding with local law enforcement agencies regarding sexual violence; it would also increase the penalties for universities who violate the federal prohibition against gender discrimination. The bill’s authors will push for a vote in the U.S. Senate in September, but Senate leaders have not yet committed to that timeline.

NSF DEPUTY DIRECTOR TO RETIRE

National Science Foundation (NSF) Deputy Director Cora Marrett announced that she will step down from her position on August 24, after spending seven years in various leadership roles within the agency, including two stints as acting director. Dr. Marrett was the first person to lead the Social, Behavioral & Economics Sciences directorate and spent time leading the Education and Human Resources directorate. She plans to return to Wisconsin, where she previously served as the senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

BU Corporate Relations and BU Federal Relations will cohost a panel discussion this fall entitled Leveraging Corporate, Academic and Government Partnerships: Opportunities for BU. Part of the BU Greenhouse series, the October 9th lunch discussion will feature BU faculty, government officials, and corporate stakeholders with significant experience in forming public-private-university partnerships to access government funding.